3rd Grade
Wit and Wisdom
What is Wis and Wisdom?
Wit & Wisdom is our English curriculum. It builds knowledge of key topics in history, science, and literature through the study of excellent texts. By reading and responding to stories and nonfiction texts, we will build knowledge of the following topics:
Module 1 The sea
In Module 1, The Sea, we will study why people explore the sea. Poets and writers explore the sea through words and images. Scientists use technology to discover new species. We will explore literature, informational text, and art as we ask the question: Why do people explore the sea?
WHAT TEXTS WILL WE READ?
Picture Book (Informational)
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, Dan Yaccarino
Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster, Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F. E. Roper
Shark Attack!, Cathy East Dubowski
Picture Book (Literary)
Amos & Boris, William Steig
Poetry
“The Sea Wind,” Sara Teasdale
Stories
“The Lion and the Mouse,” The Full Text of Aesop’s Fables
OUR CLASS WILL EXAMINE THESE WORKS OF ART:
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai
The Boating Party, Mary Cassatt
The Gulf Stream, Winslow Homer
OUR CLASS WILL WATCH THESE FILMS:
“Cousteau’s Silent World: Shipwreck Excerpt”
“Quest for the Giant Squid”
“Sperm Whale Encounter”
“Why the Ocean Matters”
OUR CLASS WILL ASK THESE QUESTIONS:
How do artists explore the sea?
Why and how do scientists explore the sea?
Why and how do scientists explore sea creatures?
Why do people explore the sea?
Module 2 Space
In Module 2, Outer Space, we will study how people have learned about space through history. By reading books and examining art, students explore our fascination with the cosmos, asking, How do people learn about space?
WHAT TEXTS WILL WE READ?
Picture Book (Informational)
Moonshot, Brian Floca
One Giant Leap, Robert Burleigh
Starry Messenger, Peter Sís
Picture Book (Literary)
Zathura, Chris Van Allsburg
Articles
“Galileo’s Starry Night,” Kelly Terwilliger
“Greek Myths,” American Museum of Natural History
“Apollo 11: The Eagle Has Landed,” Leigh Anderson
Stories
“Pegasus and Perseus,” Anonymous
“Pegasus and Bellerophon,” Anonymous
“Callisto and her Son,” Anonymous
OUR CLASS WILL EXAMINE THESE WORKS OF ART:
Starfield, Vija Celmins
Space Object Box, Joseph Cornell
OUR CLASS WILL WATCH THESE FILMS:
“CBS News Moon Landing Coverage with Walter Cronkite (7/20/1969)”
“Moon 101,” National Geographic
OUR CLASS WILL ASK THESE QUESTIONS:
How did Galileo learn about space?
How did the astronauts of Apollo 11 learn about space?
How do artists and writers help people learn about space?
Module 3 A New Home
In Module 3, A New Home, students will explore the immigrant experience through the lens of stories. We will ask: How do stories help us understand immigrants’ experiences?
WHAT TEXTS WILL WE READ?
Picture Books (Literacy)
Grandfather’s Journey, Allen Say
Tea with Milk, Allen Say
The Keeping Quilt, Patricia Polacco
Family Pictures, Carmen Lomas Garza
Picture Books (Informational)
Coming to America: The Story of Immigration, Betsy Maestro
OUR CLASS WILL READ THIS STORY:
Two Places to Call Home,” Jody Kapp (Cobblestone article)
OUR CLASS WILL EXAMINE THESE PHOTOGRAPHS:
The Steerage, Alfred Stieglitz
“Untitled photograph of evacuees seeing the Statue of Liberty”
OUR CLASS WILL EXAMINE THIS ARCHITECTURE:
“Liberty Enlightening the World,” Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
“Gateway Arch,” Eero Saarinen
“The Washington Monument,” Robert Mills
OUR CLASS WILL WATCH THESE VIDEOS:
“Día de los Muertos Festival 2015—Artist Talk by Carmen Lopez Garza 1.” Smithsonian National Museum of the
American Indian. (excerpts)
OUR CLASS WILL LISTEN TO THESE HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS:
“Morris Remembers the Steamship,” Ellis Island Oral History Collection, National Park Service
“William Remembers the Storm,” Ellis Island Oral History Collection, National Park Service
“Oral History Library,” The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc.
OUR CLASS WILL ASK THESE QUESTIONS:
What challenges do immigrants face in a new country?
Why do people immigrate to America?
How do immigrants respond to challenges in a new country?
Module 4 Artist Make Art
In Module 4, Artists Make Art, students will explore the creative impulse as they read biographies of artists in the fields of dance, literature, the visual arts, and music. In addition to reading about the artists, students encounter the work of each of these artists. We will ask: What is an artist?
WHAT TEXTS WILL WE READ?
Picture Books, (Literary)
Emma’s Rug, Allen Say
Picture Books, (Informational)
Alvin Ailey, Andrea Davis Pinkney
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, Jen Bryant
Action Jackson, Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan
When Marian Sang, Pam Muñoz Ryan
OUR CLASS WILL READ THESE ARTICLES:
“Working as a Team on Children’s Books,” Roberta Hershenson
“Brian Pinkney,” National Center for Children’s Literature
“A Signature Work,” Muse Magazine
OUR CLASS WILL READ THIS POEM:
“Willow Poem,” William Carlos Williams
OUR CLASS WILL READ THIS INTERVIEW:
“Andrea Davis Pinkney Interview Transcript,” Scholastic Students
OUR CLASS WILL EXAMINE THESE PAINTINGS:
I Saw the Figure 5 in Gold, Charles Demuth
My Egypt, Charles Demuth
Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist), Jackson Pollock
Number 11, 1952 (Blue Poles), Jackson Pollock
Mural, Jackson Pollock
OUR CLASS WILL EXAMINE THIS PHOTOGRAPH:
Marian Anderson singing in front of Lincoln Memorial
OUR CLASS WILL WATCH THESE VIDEOS:
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, Marian Anderson
Excerpt from 1988 interview with Alvin Ailey
Revelations at 50, Alvin Ailey
Christine Dixon discussing Blue Poles
Jackson Pollock, Hans Namuth
Newsreel footage of Marian Anderson’s first Lincoln Memorial
Excerpts of Revelations, Alvin Ailey
OUR CLASS WILL ASK THESE QUESTIONS:
What inspires artists?
How do artists make art?
What are some character traits that are useful to artists?
Why is art important?